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There are about a million and a half broccoli and cheese soup recipes out there. You may be wondering why you need another one. Well, the recipes I’ve seen tend to use flour as a thickener, have a long list of ingredients, or just take a while to prepare. Today I’m sharing my quick and simple version of easy broccoli cheese soup. And, it happens to be a low carb broccoli cheese soup, too!
The beauty of this gluten-free broccoli cheddar soup is that everyone seems to love it, whether they are eating low carb or not. It also happens to be healthy and perfect for clean eating, but that’s just a bonus.
How To Make Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
This easy, creamy low carb broccoli cheese soup is probably the easiest recipe you’ll find. It’s also gluten-free, healthy, and can be vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
I love that it takes just twenty minutes to prepare, so I can totally throw it together at the last minute on a busy weeknight. I also like to use it as a starter for guests coming over without spending a lot of extra time. It requires just a few (five!) simple ingredients, and chances are you have most of them on hand.
Believe it or not, the thickener in this gluten-free broccoli cheese soup is simply cheese. No flour, starches, or artificial thickeners are necessary for this one. When I discovered that shredded cheddar cheese works just as well, I honestly wondered why I’ve never seen this before.
Why do so many broccoli and cheese soup recipes use some other complicated way of thickening, when it’s so much easier, healthier, and more natural to let the cheese take care of it? Not to mention it’s also more creamy and delicious to just have the cheddar thicken the soup.
I like my low carb broccoli cheese soup with pieces of broccoli in it, but you could puree it if you prefer. It tastes fantastic both ways!
My 10 month old daughter loved the pureed version – quite an impressive feat, considering she’s the pickiest eater you’ve ever seen. That alone is reason enough for me to make this practically every week, all winter long. As a bonus, the only dishes you’ll have to wash after making this are a cutting board, a knife, a single pot, a ladle, and your soup bowl.
So, are you convinced yet? Why not give it a try and make some easy broccoli cheese soup tonight?
Tips for the Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup
UPDATE: I’m thrilled that so many of you are making this easy broccoli cheese soup recipe! Along with my bacon wrapped asparagus, low carb cheesecake, and fathead pizza crust, it’s one of the most popular ones on the blog. That being said, I also want to address any issues some people may be having.
For anyone that has problems with clumping during the cheese melting process in their broccoli cheddar soup, I have a few tips!
- Make sure the temperature is not too hot. This is super important! The heat should be very low when adding the cheese. If it’s too hot, the cheese can seize and clump.
- The broccoli florets should be small. The cheese tends to stick to larger pieces more.
- Use pre-shredded cheese OR add a de-clumping agent. The recipe works best with pre-shredded cheese that comes in a bag. If you shred a block of cheese yourself, or if your shredded cheese already seems clumpy to begin with, toss it with a little arrowroot powder or cornstarch first, before adding to the soup.
- Add only a little cheese at a time. If you dump all the cheese in at once, it will clump more.
- Stir, stir, stir! Keep stirring as you add the cheese.
- Backup plan #1: Puree it! If all else fails, just throw the soup in a blender (or use an immersion blender).
- Backup plan #2: Remove the broccoli first! Thank you to a reader for suggesting this. If you’d like, you can scoop out the broccoli florets before adding the cheese and set them aside. Melt in the cheese, then add the broccoli back in afterward.
There you have it! As long as you do these things to ensure the cheese melts well, you’ll get the simplest, best broccoli cheese soup ever. 😉
5-Ingredient Low Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup:
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| Servings | Cook Time |
| servings (1 cup each) | 20 minutes |
| Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe - 5 Ingredients This easy, low carb broccoli cheese soup is gluten-free, healthy, SUPER CHEESY and needs just 5 ingredients. Ready in only 20 minutes!
|
- 4 cups Broccoli (cut into florets)
- 4 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 3 1/2 cups Chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 3 cups Cheddar cheese (pre-shredded - see notes)
- In a large pot over medium heat, saute garlic for one minute, until fragrant.
- Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, and chopped broccoli. Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until broccoli is tender.
- Add the shredded cheddar cheese gradually, stirring constantly, and continue to stir until melted. (Add 1/2 cup, simmer and stir until it melts fully, then repeat 1/2 cup at a time until all the cheese is used up.) Make sure to keep it at a very low simmer and avoid high heat, to prevent seizing. Remove from heat immediately once all the cheese melts.
Net carbs per serving (1 cup): 4g
*IMPORTANT: See my tips in the post above (before the recipe card) for best results when melting the cheese!
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Want more cheesy, low carb, gluten-free recipes? Try these:
Shannon says
Made this last night. Was so excited because I love broccoli cheese soup! When I added the cheese it did not melt fully but ended up in a gooey glob on the bottom. Any suggestions? I grated the cheddar from a block. I pulled the glob out and it was still fairly good just not very cheesy.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Shannon, I would recommend adding the cheese in batches a cup at a time and constantly stirring as you add it. Also, make sure you leave the soup in the pot after turning off the heat, so that you don’t let too much heat escape. If the soup cools off too much, the cheese won’t melt. You can heat it slightly to help it melt if it’s still not working, but I’ve never had to do that in the dozen or so times that I’ve made this. If you work quickly and in batches, stirring constantly, it should melt from the hot soup itself. Hope this helps!
Amy says
How much is a serving size? 1 cup?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Amy, One serving is 1/8 of the recipe, which should be approximately a cup, maybe even a little more. I’ll try to measure the exact amount next time I make it. Thanks for asking!
Amy says
Thanks so much, Maya! I’m new to the low carb thing and am measuring everything! 🙂
Donna Walker says
So I was wonder if this can be frozen? Any ideas?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
I haven’t tried it. Dairy tends to change texture when frozen, but sometimes it works for recipes that are reheated (like soup). Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Patricia Polster says
I just made this soup tonight, and it was delicious. I do recommend adding the cheddar cheese while the heavy cream and broth are still simmering. The cheese melts really well that way.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thanks for the suggestion! I originally didn’t have any issues with the cheese melting right after removing from heat, but a couple of people mentioned they had a hard time with it. I updated the recipe to remove from heat after the cheese melts instead.
Dee says
I had the same issue with the cheese as Shannon did – with the cheese clumping at the bottom of the pot. I shredded it really fine and stirred it in a bit at a time, even tried putting back on the warm burner, but it still clumped. It’s still delicious this way, but it would better if I could figure out the issue. I used a just purchased block of cheese that was very fresh. Could it be that it was too fresh?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you for the feedback! I didn’t have this issue, but since a couple of people mentioned it, I updated the recipe to instead keep heating until the cheese melts. Just remove from heat as soon as it melts. Hope this helps!
Sandi Waller says
Can the broccoli be frozen?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
I haven’t tried it with frozen broccoli but it should work. You may have to adjust the cook time in step 2 – just simmer until the broccoli is tender. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Marilyn says
This recipe is great, replaced some of the garlic with shallots and some of the cheddar with provolone and some of the broth with Pilsner. Still had some clumping, maybe use cornstarch slurry or something, but an awesome simple recipe with lots of room to deviate!
Ashley says
Just made this for lunch and it’s absolutely stellar! I’m new to keto so simple recipes like this are a huge help.
Taylor says
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Yes, you can. Of course the nutrition info will be different (lower calorie but higher carb count). The only thing to watch out for is be careful simmering (don’t get the temperature too hot), to avoid the milk curdling. You may want to add the milk in the last few minutes instead, as milk will curdle more easily than heavy cream. Otherwise, the main difference is the soup will be a little thinner. Hope this helps!
Kellie says
I love this soup! I have made it twice and use frozen organic broccoli from Costco and it is awesome!! I also put it in the blender on blend for like ten seconds…YUM!!!
Ashley says
Delicious!!!
Wondering what are the nutritional facts?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Ashley, The nutrition facts are at the bottom of the recipe card (above the comments).
Amy says
Going to try it in a Crock Pot.
Flap says
Not a great idea. I found the crock heat and time issue made a huge mess. The broccoli was too crunchy for my taste, the cheese separated into a huge blob, edged with greasy residue. Cooking it too long took most of the flavor from the broth. Next time, I’m giving the crockpot a rest and doing it the old fashioned way. One side note: The more expensive cheese grated from a solid piece wasn;t worth the effort. Disappointed. Glad it wasn’t a “company” plan.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi there, Thanks for the info – the original recipe was on the stove and I haven’t tried the Crock Pot yet. If you wanted to try the Crock Pot, I don’t think you can just dump everrything in and cook. You’d have to cook it without cheese first, and then melt in the cheese at the end. That would be how I would try doing it if using a Crock Pot, but haven’t done that yet. It does work well on the stove as written.
Kelsey says
I am going to make this tonight, but I am going to used cottage cheese instead of cream, and add hamburger to it. Do you know how many people this feeds. I would be interested if it feeds 4 with leftovers?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
It makes about 8 servings (1 cup each), so there would probably be leftovers if each person has a serving. Just a note – cottage cheese will result in a less creamy soup since it probably wouldn’t smoothly melt into the broth. Adding hamburger sounds like a good way to make it a full meal!
Helena Zielinski says
You say to saute the garlic for one minute, but the recipe does not include any butter or oil. Did you just put minced garlic into a dry pan, and if so, how did you keep it from burning? If you used butter, could you please update the recipe and nutritional information?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Helena, I just used a light spray from my olive oil mister (I use this one because it avoids chemicals of store bought ones and still sprays really well). The amount wasn’t really enough to add as an ingredient, but you can use more if you like. If you pour oil or use butter instead, the nutrition impact would depend on how much you use. Any online calorie/nutrition calculator would be able to calculate the amount based on how much you used.
Ticonderoga says
What’s the serving size? I want to add it to my calorie tracker. Thank you!!! 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
One serving is 1/8 of the recipe, which should be approximately a cup, maybe even a little more. Another reader asks this above and I will measure the serving size more precisely next time I make the soup.
Katesfan says
So I made this tonight! It tasted very good. I have some notes, but I should reiterate that it was awesome and I’ll be making it again.
The final product was a fairly thin soup. Thicker than a broth, for sure, but not a velvety, creamy cheese soup. I tried to thicken it up by adding more cheese, but next time I may add some xanthan gum or something(??). Despite adding quite a bit more cheese, this recipe made about 7 cups of soup (7 cups by the markers in my pan and ~56 oz by weight), which is less than I was anticipating, so be aware of that if you’re expecting 8 1-cup servings. I’m sure this varies by the person. All the cheese seemed to melt fine, no unwanted clumps, but as I ate it I noticed my spoon and mouth/teeth becoming coated with melted cheese, probably just a byproduct of being a low carb/minimal ingredient dish; there aren’t starches or a roux to homogenize everything.
As an entree, this served me and my partner with about 3 cups leftover. I know I sound down on this recipe, but I just ran into some issues making it. It was still very delicious and definitely a keeper. All the satisfaction of a restaurant broccoli cheese soup with way fewer carbs! Saved for future dinners.
Elysa Michelle says
Did you use heavy cream with 1g carb or the one that has 0 carbs? Wondering because I’d like to think if I use the 0 carb that it could be even less carbs total. Also, I just added bacon. Yum!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Elysa, My nutrition calculator says heavy cream has 2.79g carbs per 100g of cream – this isn’t brand specific in general. A cup of heavy cream is 238g, so the total carbs (from the cream only) in the entire recipe is 6.64g. Dividing that by 8 servings, the cream provides 0.83g carbs per serving. The rest of the carbs are from the other ingredients (mostly from the broccoli).
The reason you see differences in brands is due to rounding. The serving size is usually a tablespoon and many companies round to a whole number of grams (0g or 1g in this case). They may be doing some rounding to begin with as well, increasing the error slightly prior to dividing by number of servings. A tablespoon is 0.063 cups, so technically a cup is 15.873 tablespoons (rounded to 3 decimal places). Based on this, the exact amount per tablespoon of cream should be 0.418g (which is 6.64g per cup/15.873 tablespoons). However, depending on how they round (or possibly if they have any stabilizers in the cream), they may come up with something slightly over 0.5g. The FDA guidelines for rounding say they can round down to 0 if <0.5g or round up to 1 if >=0.5g. This is where the differences in brands come from. This was a long explanation but the short answer is I wouldn’t worry about those differences since they are very small. I do always get pure heavy cream without stabilizers, but the reason for that is not carb count.
By the way, bacon sounds like a delicious addition! I’ll have to try that.
Elysa Michelle says
Used the bacon grease to sauté the garlic, too.
Claudia Hape says
Hi, am making this as we speak!! Just wondering how long it will keep for, and is able to be frozen?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Great – I hope you like it! It should keep for a few days, maybe a week max. Freezing should also work, but I haven’t tried it.
Christine says
How did it work in the Crockpot? I wanted to try it that way but wanted input first.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
I haven’t tried it in the Crockpot. I think should work, but can’t say for sure without testing. You’d need to allow plenty of time for the cheese to melt since the temperature is so much lower than the stovetop, and would probably need to stir a couple times after the cheese is added. I’d love to hear how it went if you try it.
Kim says
I made this tonight – my husband and I LOVED it! I was in a hurry and bought the already minced garlic at the store, failed to read the directions and put probably 4 times the amount I should have. I won’t make that mistake again, but I still loved it anyway! Filling, gooey, some crunch with the broccoli – so awesome!
Allison says
Can this be made in the crockpot? 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Allison, Sorry I missed your comment until now! I haven’t tried making this in the Crock Pot. You’d probably need to stir a few times for the cheese to melt. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Rosi Fowler says
Absolutely delicious. I am new to low carb. My husband and I both loved this. Thank you.
Virginia Limon says
I’ve been back and forth and can’t seem to find an answer. Is heavy cream the same as heavy whipping cream? If not, can you post a picture of heavy cream? I can’t find it in my grocery store!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Virginia, They are almost the same. Technically heavy cream has a slightly higher fat content compared to heavy whipping cream, but they are close. I use them interchangeably in all my recipes that need cream. Both will work in all of them, including this one. So, feel free to use either one that you can find!
Dena says
Amy, Can you tell me if this worked and at what point you put in the Crock Pot? Or did you make the whole thing in a Crock Pot?
iy says
Yum!
Jinkie B says
Great recipe. I added mushroom, bacon and chicken to mine. Came out really good.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you! Those sound like delicious additions to make it a full meal.
Robin Gibbs says
Love cream of broccoli & cheese soup. I saw the note about the shredded cheese in the bag – I use that all the time & it melts really well. I also use cream cheese but cut into small cubes. I have even used the whipped cream cheese with chives or chives & onions, or you can use the Garden Veggie flavored. Absolutely delicious!!
Liz says
Made this last night and it turned out so great. I did not see the part about pre shredded cheese, so I followed the note, shredded my own block of cheddar, and ended up tossing it in Bobs red mill gluten free 1:1 flour (which actually includes xanthan gum). I really thought this soup would be thin, but it was so thick and creamy! I’m wondering if it’s because of the flour that I added to the cheese. Either way, so so yummy! I also sprinkled the cheese in just a tiny bit at a time, like not even a handful, and just constantly stirred until it was all melted in there. Never stopped stirring while adding the cheese. Then removed from the heat immediately like the instructions said. I was really impressed with how thick this was. Just like Panera’s! Ate it with a toasted gluten free bagel to dip in the soup. So good! I might add some chopped onion with the garlic next time, or maybe some Italian seasoning or something for a dash more flavor. But either way this was so yummy!!!
Mary says
I am going to try coconut milk instead of heavy cream. Then take some out of the pan, blend it and put back into the rest of the chunky soup. This should make it a little creamier.
Amanda Evans says
If using block cheese maybe use some almond four stirred into it to help it seperate and melt. She mentioned the bags worked better because of something like this. This would be how I would help it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Yes, exactly! I suggested arrowroot powder in the recipe notes but almond flour could also work. Thank you, Amanda!
Patti Pili says
Maya – outstanding recipe! I used the bagged kind of Cheddar from Tillamook and Sargento, but they did have 1 carb per 1/4 cup. Is this factored into the original nutritional count?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Patti, Thank you!! My nutrition calculator factored in 1.5g carbs per cup of shredded cheese. But, nutrition labels for packaged shredded cheese often round up (anything over 0.5g per 1/4 cup serving would be labeled as 1g), meaning there may not be a full gram in there and it’s likely pretty close. Either way, the difference would amount to a fraction of a gram per serving. That kind of discrepancy usually isn’t enough to sway your diet (or blood sugar) one way or the other. Still, if you want to calculate exactly, a more precise way to do it would be to weigh all the ingredients (use 113g = 1 cup for the shredded cheese), enter those into a nutrition calculator, and then divide by the number of servings.
Teshia Renee says
I ran out of chicken broth. Can I use water?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Teshia, I haven’t tried using water but don’t think it would work as well, since the chicken broth provides flavor. Any other kind of broth, like vegetable or beef, would work fine, too.
Lisa Smith says
Add a couple tablespoons of arrowroot powder while cooking. Made it perfect 🙂
Michelle Lubbers says
Broccoli soup will always be my favorite. It takes a bit to talk myself out of “the way we used to do it”, or does it? Cheese usually fixes that. Can’t be more thrilled to try this soup!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
It’s one of my favorites, too!
Patti says
I was having the same issue with the cheese clumping. I added very small amount at a time and stirred a lot. I ended up throwing everything in the blender and it worked like a charm!
Christina says
Absolutely delish. Better than any at restaurants. I added crabmeat to mine today. Tomorrow maybe chicken and mushrooms!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you so much, Christina! I love your ideas for adding crab meat, chicken, or mushrooms. Need to try those variations, too!
Kristy says
Wasn’t a huge fan of this recipe. I followed all your instructions and the cheese still sunk to the bottom in a big clump like some others have experienced. I used bagged, shredded cheese too. Not sure why yours doesn’t do that, but I don’t plan on making this again.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Kristy, I recommend reducing the heat when adding the cheese, and make sure you only add a little at a time, stirring constantly. As another commenter mentioned, high heat can cause the cheese to seize and clump as a result.
Jessica says
I added a block of cream cheese and a dash nutmeg, delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Yum! That sounds amazing.
Dina says
This was easy & so delicious! I used pre-grated cheese & it melted easily. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Dina! I’m glad you liked it!
Jessica says
Any idea how many carbs in one serving?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Jessica, The nutrition info is at the bottom of the recipe card – 4g net carbs per serving.
Janna says
I don’t understand the people having issues with the cheese melting. All I did was add the shredded sharp cheddar cheese normally by the handful. I stirred between two or so handfuls and continued stirring until melted. This is a super rich and yummy soup that is super easy to make. Some of these comments are reminiscent of a novice cook. Cheese will melt eventually people!!! It’s cheese. I picture people dumping in the cheese and hoping it will miraculously dissolve and spread itself throughout the liquid ingredients. Stir, stir more and you will love this soup 🙂
Alene says
Should I use sharp cheddar or mild?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Alene, Feel free to use whichever one you like better. 🙂
Janice King says
Since I have a tendency to not totally follow recipes, and the broccoli and shredded cheese I bought was more than the recipe called for… and not wanting to waste any of it, I used probably 4 cups of cheese and 2 12 Oz bags of broccoli and it turned out great. Oh, and I had some Velveeta queso cheese and added some of that too. But even before I added the queso, mine wasn’t nearly as yellow as your picture. I used mild cheddar cheese, could that be why? Oh, and I added some garlic-pepper for seasoning. Great recipe!
Deanne Wierman says
I have learned the hard way that you need to use quality cheese. Cheap cheese globs instead of melting. Also, use low sodium broth or it’s too salty. Have had to throw away a few batches.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you for the tips, Deanne!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
That’s a great idea for anyone having the clumping issue. Thanks, Patti!
Cheri Newton says
I just made this and I love it! I took one suggestion of adding a tsp of corn starch and had not issues with the cheese clumping. I shredded a block of Tillamook Medium Cheddar and the flavor from that is great. I used frozen broccoli and it was fine. This recipe is great for my Ketogenic diet.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Cheri! I love it, too.
Cheri Newton says
Btw, I also added a wedge of The Laughing cow Creamy Spicy Pepperjack cheese to give it a little bit of extra flavor.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
What a yummy idea! I love anything with a kick.
Christina says
I’ve found if you whip the heavy cream prior to adding it to soup it helps thicken it up. I made a REALLY good potato soup that way. Still comes out well without whipping it but it just seemed to make it soo much better! Try it next time. 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Christina, What a great idea! I haven’t tried that but I’ll bet it will be extra thick and creamy that way.
Amy E. says
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious!! Had no issues w/the cheese clumping. I added a half of a shallot as well. Only issue is that I’ll have to double the recipe next time or make something else to have with it. Other than that it was DELICIOUS!!! Thanks for posting!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
You’re welcome, Amy! I’ll have to try adding the shallot next time, too.
Sarah says
Yum! I hate when people rate a recipe but alter the crap out of it, but I definitely used this has a base recipe. I sautéed onions and mushrooms with the garlic in a little bit of butter, and added salt and pepper. I also cut the recipe in half since it’s just hubby, me, and our fur baby.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Sarah, I’m glad you liked it and am always happy to hear about how variations turn out for people. Sauteed onions and mushrooms sound like delicious additions!
Kelleigh says
This is seriously the best cheddar broccoli soup I’ve ever had. I’m currently pregnant and have gestational diabetes so I have to be so careful about my carb intake! I’ve already make 2 double batches. My husband and I both thank you for the recipe! 🙂
PS. The only seasonings I added is white pepper, salt and garlic powder in addition to the recipe. SO good! thanks again.
🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you so much, Kelleigh! And congratulations!
Tessa Hack says
I just made this for my dinner, and the flavor is SO good. However, the cheese ended up in little bitty chewy chunks… it coated my spoon and made the overall texture very unappetizing. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I used pre-shredded cheddar cheese, added it in several small batches while stirring constantly. I removed it from the heat when it looked melted. As the soup cooled it clumped even more. Any idea what happened?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Tessa, I’m glad you liked the flavor. It sounds like the cheese didn’t melt fully (since you still had chunks of cheese left). I’d suggest cooking it for longer until it melts completely.
Abby says
I had the same kind of gritty texture issue as you Tessa, I don’t think its a melting issue, I thought maybe I should have added a cheese that melts to a smoother texture but didn’t know what kind.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Abby, Sorry you had issues with the texture. It sounds like either the cheese didn’t melt fully, or the heat was too high and it seized. You’ll want to check my tips above the recipe card! 🙂
hollybowan says
Hi! I just made this and I was licking the spoon! 🙂 I used my immersion blender to smooth things out. Also, I threw in a little nutritional yeast. It all came out very thick and flavorful. If you use pre-shredded (fine) cheese, it melts very easily.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you! An immersion blender is a great option for a smoother, thicker soup.
Anna says
The recipe clearly says pre shredded cheese works because of the cellulose….and if you have to shred the cheese yourself to add arrowroot powder or cornstarch to the cheese before adding it to the soup…to prevent clumping
P.J. says
Can you use plain yogurt (not the sour Greek kind) instead of the heavy cream?
Can you use a can of coconut milk that has coconut cream in it since that’s thick?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi P.J., Coconut cream or canned coconut milk would work great. (The thicker, the better!) I wouldn’t recommend using yogurt, because even regular plain yogurt has some sourness to it, and also because yogurt is prone to curdling more than heavy cream is.
Coco says
Yummy recipe! I prepared mine a little bit differently, but it turned out great. I started by preparing the broccoli separately – cooking it with water for about 15 minutes and then draining in a colander and kept to the side. I then sautéed then garlic with a tiny bit of oil and then added chicken stock, heavy cream and cheese. I then took about half of the broccoli and pureed it in my blender with a couple of ladles of the soup liquid. Once the cheese melted a bit I mixed in the pureed broccoli. I added in onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. I added a couple of sprinkles of powdered parmesan cheese too. When the cheese completely melted I added in the broccoli florets. I let it simmer for a bit longer and then took it off the heat. I garnished my bowl of soup with some shredded cheese. So good for a low carb option!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Coco! This sounds like a great variation for a more pureed soup, and also a great option for anyone struggling with the cheese melting.
Folwart says
Too much heat is likely the culprit of the cheese clumping. You don’t want to get it too hot, it can cause the cheese to seize. A light simmer should be sufficient, not a full boil.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Folwart!! I hadn’t run into this problem so it was difficult to troubleshoot the clumping issues that some others were having. I’ll add this tip to the recipe card.
Sheryl Honeycutt says
While I am currently seriously counting carbs I am grateful for these recipes, however, my only complaint is that most of them don’t tell you how many servings are in the recipe and the size of the serving. This recipe looks delicious and I see there are 8 servings, but how big are the servings? It is easier on casseroles and pizzas as you can visually divide it equally, but in skillet dinners and soups, it is hard to know what one serving is. A cup? Half cup?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Sheryl, All the recipes do list the number of servings at the top of the recipe card. I try to list a specific serving size for most of them, but some of the older recipes don’t have a precise amount listed – I need to go back and re-measure when I make them again. For newer recipes I aim to be more specific. This soup made approximately 8 cups, so a serving is about a cup.
Melanie says
This was delicious!! I made a couple additions (onions with the garlic, sautéed in butter), some chopped leftover rotisserie chicken (So I don’t have to hear “where’s the meat”) and I garnished with bacon and green onions. It was a HUGE hit. I scooped the broccoli out of the broth into a bowl, added the cream and the cheese a little at a time while whisking, then added the broccoli back once it was smooth. Worked really well.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Melanie! I love those additions!
Jessica says
Oh my that sounds like delicious add ins! I was planning on making that tonight. Thanks for the suggestions!
Lynn says
Not as thick as I’d like, but DELICIOUS!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Lynn! To make it thicker, you can always add more cheese, OR puree some (or all) of it.
Daniel says
That happened to me and I took out the broccoli then put everything else into my blendtec and it came out perfectly! Most amazing soup ever! All of my kids loved it too.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Daniel! I’ve done it that way, too. I even included this method in my recommendations above the recipe card. 🙂
Bridget says
I am so new at counting carbs. Per my doc… I am diabetic. MUST count carbs. I am LOST! Searching for low carb recipes. Help! Your soup sounds delicious! Any breakfast recipes?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Bridget,
You’ve come to the right place then – all the recipes on my site are low carb, and the nutrition info is listed for each recipe to help you count carbs. (Most people can count net carbs, meaning total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols, but you can check with your doctor to be sure.)
I hope you enjoy the soup.
I do have lots of breakfast recipes. The recipe index here has a breakfast section. A few reader favorites are low carb granola, low carb pancakes, and low carb bagels.
Angel says
I couldn’t get it to thicken… it was super runny. Any suggestions?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Angel, I haven’t had that happen before, but if it’s not thick enough you can just melt in more cheese.
Isabella says
Hi!! I am wondering how much is a serving size? Is it calculated with 1 cup of the soup? Looking forward to try this tonight.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Isabella, One serving is 1/8 of the recipe, which should be approximately a cup, maybe even a little more. It’s on my list to measure exactly when I make it again. Thank you!
Rachel says
Delicious!! I made it with finely shredded (or fancy) cheddar cheese from a bag , and it worked well. I also added ham. So delicious! With and without ham! Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Rachel!
Debbie Bailey says
Thank you for the recipe!! I made this last night. I made two changes – I diced a medium onion and sautéed with the garlic. And I added two dashes of nutmeg. I also chopped the broccoli really small, but didn’t put through blender. It was wonderful!!! Definitely making again.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Debbie! The onion, garlic, and nutmeg are great additions.
Lily says
Hello. I just made this and it poured out to 8 cups.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Lily! I’ve been meaning to update the serving size – that’s what I thought it was but needed to re-measure. I’ll update it now!
Jacky says
Hi, Can you make a video? Thanks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Jacky, Yes, absolutely! It’s on my list for this fall.
Danielle says
How did it work?
Dawn says
Do you think I could use bone broth instead? Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Dawn, Yes, absolutely! Any kind of broth will work.
Tracee says
Is this really 25g fat for a one cup serving? Just checking as that seems really high.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Tracee, Yes, the nutrition info is on the recipe card. This recipe is low carb but not low fat – it’s pretty rare to have both. If fat content is an issue, you could lower it by using less cheese or possibly a low fat cheese. You could also replace some of the heavy cream with milk (or almond milk), but the soup would be thinner and less creamy.